Sweet Spot: Prep Kitchen’s S’mores Dessert

When Las Vegas’ IAM Hospitality bought Prep Kitchen in January, they didn’t just bring along award-winning chef Joe Elevado, who honed his skills at Nobu and Andrea’s at the Wynn. They also exported some of that Sin City showmanship. That’s best seen in Prep Kitchen’s s’mores dessert, which feels like a magic trick when it arrives at the table.

It’s a Guittard chocolate brownie with crumbled graham cracker pie crust topped with brûlée marshmallow cream, but the allure is in its presentation. The brownie is tucked into a glass dome filled with smoke from fired wood chips, to achieve that by-the-campfire aroma. New co-owner Deborah Krause says she and Elevado both have kids who love s’mores, so they aimed for a playful twist on that.

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And while coffee is often used to amplify the flavor of cocoa powder, Krause says there’s a reason it’s left out of this recipe. “We’d love our young diners to enjoy the show of s’mores—and we want our parent diners to love us after.”

Locations in Del Mar, Little Italy, and San Marcos prepkitchen

Sweet Spot: Prep Kitchen’s S’mores Dessert

Photo by Jim Sullivan